River Walk tree branches will get some holiday lights

Ever year, the River Walk is illuminated for the holidays. EXPRESS-NEWS FILE PHOTO

The Tweet came late Saturday night from District 1 City Councilman Diego Bernal:

The Riverwalk lights WILL hang from the branches (or at least will be wrapped around them). I asked the City Manager’s office twice!

Last week, City Council approved a plan to replace the incandescent holiday lights along the River Walk with LEDs. Although the move would bump the number of Christmas lights from 85,000 to 1.76 million, and consume less than half energy, many readers of this blog protested because it would mean a departure from lights cascading off the tree tops. Instead, the LEDs would wrap around tree trunks, as well as illuminate 19 bridges downtown and 26 heritage trees along the River Walk.

Apparently, LEDs are going into the branches, even if they will not drape down like before.

“Everybody had this misinterpretation that it’s just going to be around the trunks,” deputy city manager A.J. Rodriguez said. “We’re going up and into the branches.”

Bernal said the important thing is that holiday lights will be above the water.

“They’re not going to be exactly the same, but this idea that they’re around the trunks only, that’s not the case,” Bernal said. “They will be in branches over the water.”